Tag Archives: gameday 1992

NFL

Smith, Kevin “Pup” (2)

spics92 ksmithsky92 ksmith

Cards: Action Packed Rookies 1992, Star Pics 1992, GameDay 1992, SkyBox 1992
Acquired: 2013, Paid Signing via Houston Dallas Cowboys Fan Club
See Also: Kevin Smith “Pup”

gday92 ksmithOccasionally I’ll see a paid signing I want to get in on the ground floor at, and although I had the pleasure of getting Smith on a previous opportunity at Dallas Cowboys Training Camp way, way back in 1992, there were still quite a few cards I had of him that I wanted to grace with his autograph. These 4 cards represent my favorite sets at that time. Action Packed had these embossed edges that really made the cards pop with the strength that symbolized football. Their smaller Rookies set was a no brainer for me since it was easier to collect on the stiff price point of 2.25 per pack that included 5 cards in it. GameDay was just a beautiful set. It pretty much embodied everything I liked but its most outstanding feature was the ‘tall boy’ look that made these cards look like game tickets. Star Pics was a good college card. Unfortunately they over anticipated demand for their product. They were quickly ousted from the market, but their 1992 set was a beauty from its clean white edges to the strong player photos. Skybox on the other hand made a late splash to an already clogged market. With ProSet, Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, and Score all fighting for a slice of the pie along with these lesser names above, Skybox had carved a niche in the basketball market and set its sights on football. It’s 1992 and subsequent 1992-1993 set were absolute models of beauty and simplicity. The base impact set from 1992 with its bold type gives the card a very poster like feel, while its action photos are some of the clearest in the market from that period. I was really happy to get these 4 signed by Kevin. For the most part I’m pretty much done with the ex-Aggie and Dallas Cowboy, unless there is a free signing there I just happen to be at.

aprks92 ksmithAn inductee of the Museum of the Gulf Coast, Kevin was not only a talented football player, but also a talented athlete playing basketball, baseball, and sprinkling in a bit of track too. During his time at A&M Smith during his Sophomore year intercepted a pass in every home game for the Aggies, including a 40 yard pick of LSU’s Tommy Hodson that Pup returned to the house. He finished that year with 9 interceptions. Kevin was named to the All-SWC team 3 times and played on some of the last great Aggie teams in the SWC before being taken by the Cowboys with their #1 pick of the 1992 draft. Injuries derailed what could have been an impactful career as Smith retired during the 2000 season, but he’s done a lot of things since including a brief stay as a color commentator for the Aggies.

NFL

McDowell, Bubba (2)

gday92 mcdowellCard: GameDay 1992
Acquired: 11/23/2012, Fiterman Autograph Event
See also: Bubba McDowell

After Bubba’s career ended because of his Achilles heel injury, he had a hard time adjusting to post-football life. His wife advised him not to watch pro ball so he took up golf and drag racing to fill up the spare time in the meantime, and didn’t watch a game for 2 years. He became involved in the NFL Minority Fellowship Coaching program, and has seen stops at Texas Southern, the University of Houston, the Tennessee Titans, the Green Bay Packers, the Miami Dolphins, the Houston Texans, and currently with Prarie View A&M. He performed some miracles for the A&M Panthers bringing a nearly whole rookie safety group up to speed and record career highs in numerous categories and offenses under 200 yards passing in 2012. He’s been an active member of the Houston Texans Ambassadors program and is very popular in the Houston area for his charitable contributions and time he volunteers to the community.

A hard hitter for the Oilers over his time there, McDowell is remembered for a terrifying helmet-to-helmet collision between himself and Cleveland wide receiver Danny Peebles, left Peebles in a heap and with numbness in his extremities. He also was an excellent special teams player- that had an odd clause in his contract that the team paid him 5k for every blocked punt, as he had a penchant to do it dating back from his playing days at Miami. Bubba was originally a cornerback for the Hurricanes, but converted to safety during the 1988 season.  I was really happy to get this card signed and still have a few other cards I’d love to get signed at a later date. In the meantime, Bubba did some great videos through Sotl, and we talked from time to time about the Texans franchise. Unfortunately SotL went to a news feed format, and I lost all my contact to players through their site.

 

NFL

Jeffires, Haywood “Freakwood” (3)

ud90 jeffiressco13 jeffires

flr90 jeffirespac92 jeffires


pset90 jeffiresCard: GameDay 1992, Upper Deck Team MVP 1992, Score 2012, Pro Set 1990, Playoff 1993, Fleer 1990 Update, Pacific 1992.

Acquired: 11/23/2012, Fiterman Autograph Event, Fan Fest 2013
See Also: Haywood Jeffires, Haywood Jeffires (2) 

I try to get Freakwood’s autograph whenever I can. I think he understands how elusive he is in the TTM world, and this allows him to charge a few bucks whenever he does show up. He used to be an immense rarity out there signing but over the past few years has been making his way around to conventions more and more. I still have a few more cards of his I’d love to get signed, and whether or not it’s at the 610 Fan Fest or through a paid signing like the Fiterman event, he’s still an Oiler legend in my book. I even had a jersey of his. I always felt like Jeffires has never gotten his due, from leading the AFC in receptions from 1990 to 1992, to helping the Oilers make the playoffs 7 seasons in a row, I think that people always talked down poff93 jeffiresabout the team and players on that offense
because they played in the Run ‘N Shoot. The Oilers after the 1993 season imploded, and while Jeffires somehow made the Probowl that season, his numbers were clearly in the decline. Over the years he had a friendly rivalry with Ernest Givins, and by 1995, only trailed him in receptions on the career list for the Oilers. For the 3rd consecutive season, he was placed on waivers as the team worked to put him under the salary cap, but with new signee Willie Davis receiving a big contract to play with the team- Jeffires decided to entertain suitors. Kansas City, Jacksonville, and New Orleans all made a play for the former Oiler, but in the end he’d finish his career in New Orleans. Jeffires suffered a season ending knee injury that year, and then was placed on waivers by the team. He ended up on the Bears but did not make the roster of the 1996 team. He has fond memories of playing for the Oilers, and doesn’t hold any hard feelings towards the fans, and it’s certainly odd for me when I see cards of Jeffires in a New Orleans outfit. I remember at the time it made me particularly sore, since he was one of my favorite players, so I can certainly relate to those fans who chagrin at Favre in a Jets jersey, Simpson in a 49er uniform, or Namath putting on a Rams helmet.
gday92 jeffiresJeffires was a late addition to the 2013 Fan Fest- So late that he was not advertised on 610’s website. The people at Clutch City Promotions though were kind enough to fill us in on the Texas Autograph Club boards of his attendance, so I was sure to pull from my collection the remainder of what I had. Fan Fest was low key this year as there was no way they could top the names from last year. This allowed for easy access to many players, and in case of Jeffries, have 4 or 5 micro conversations about football. We talked about a wide range of topics. The first was his wear. At every event he always wears a turtleneck or long sleeve shirt. His handlers laughed for a second as he told me that he thinks it’s just a thing between him and the other members of the Astrodome club because of its porous condition, it was a hard place to play. He loved the Pacific 92 card, since it showcased him in Warren’s biggest game- a 527 yard masterful performance against the Chiefs. Jeffires did not like the departure of the Oilers from Houston. He and many of the veteran members of the HOUSTON Oilers really felt that the league screwed up by letting the team leave Houston. He also felt that the team records should’ve stayed in Houston and cited the example of the Browns. This surprised me as I have always maintained that sentiment. We also discussed Drew Hill in those conversations, and Jeffires told me, “That he lived a great life.” Haywood and I also briefly discussed his impersonator, – something that he was unaware of.

jeffiresBy the end of the day I had acquired 6 more autographs of Jeffires to which I was at a point where I believe that if he ever sees me again at a convention, he may just recognize me. I got every card that I had hoped to get signed, plus nearly every ‘scrub’ card that I had left in reserve. With these autographs, Jeffires moves probably near the top of my list of autographs from a single player in my collection. There are some incredible cards in this group, including the Team MVP card from Upper Deck’s 1992 release. Absolutely beautiful art. As mentioned previously the Pacific 1992 card is a nice one, not only because of its significance but also because of the dynamic pose caught in the shot. The Gameday card was an incredible shot as well, but more so because of its verticle design. Score in its 2012 set did a re-release of some of their 1990 players in that year’s design.

Although Jeffires was on the phone from time to time during the event, he was good to his fans, always stopped what he was doing, and waited until the short conversation was over before signing the card, talking to the fan, flashing a smile or taking a photograph and moving on.